CL owner with new-to-me SL (Typ 601) - couple of questions...

[MJB]

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Hi, I recently picked up a secondhand SL, after owning a CL and TL2 for a while.  The goal is to use the SL for adapting legacy manual focus lenses, and to be able to use them without having to deal with a crop factor.  I intend to keep the CL for its AF lenses.

Immediate first impressions are that, wow, this thing is heavy (lol) but extremely well-built, and it definitely feels similar to the CL in a lot of good little ways.  I really would've preferred the SL2-S, mainly because I'm so used to the 3-button format on the CL, so it would've been really nice to have both cameras handle more or less identically.  Unfortunately, a used SL2-S is over twice the cost of a used SL, so it wasn't really an option for me.  I was a little apprehensive about learning the new UI of the original SL, and unfortunately my fears were somewhat founded, as it feels sort of like a 1st-generation product in some ways, with some of the features being similar but more refined on the CL (and likely even more so on the SL2-S).

For example:

- Can I really not use the grid/level, focus peaking, and highlight flashing all at once?  The way the camera is set up I have to toggle through them one-by-one.  On the CL I can get them all at once (oh, and can I turn the histogram off when highlight clipping is on?).

- EVF Extended mode: This is one of my favorite things about the CL, and unfortunately it doesn't seem to be quite as well implemented as on the CL.  For one thing, the EVF stays on for way too long when you bring the camera down from your eye, like 20 or 30 seconds or something (I haven't timed it).  On the CL it's instant on and off.  I don't know, maybe the SL's battery can handle the extra drain, but it seems inefficient.  More importantly, though, is that for some reason in EVF Extended mode I can't get the "Auto Review:Shutter Pressed" to work - it works a treat in LCD and Auto modes (which I don't use, lol). I really hope there's some setting I can change here, because my preferred way to shoot is EVF Extended with the option to Auto Review (or not) with the shutter.

Overall, it honestly just feels like a clunkier camera than the CL in many ways.  Looking forward to seeing the output with my Contax Zeiss glass, though.

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[frame-it]

In my opinion. the original SL601 with 4 buttons [8 functions [long and short press]], is way better than the silly 3 button SL2 series

much faster to navigate through the Mariana Trench of menu items

anyway this might help you:

 

 

[MJB]

Yeah, I've seen that video but it's helpful to re-watch now that I actually have the camera in hand.  I had forgotten about the ability to put zoom on the joystick, that's really nice and natural feeling.

I do also think once I take it out shooting and decide how I want to set up the button customizations, that I might gel with the camera a bit more.  Just bummed about the "Auto Review:Shutter Pressed" mode not working, as this seems like a bug, and one that will never be addressed I'm sure.  I think either one or both features ("EVF Extended" and "Auto Review:Shutter Pressed") were later firmware additions and so getting the two to work together must've slipped through the cracks somehow.

[LocalHero1953]

 

2 hours ago, MJB said:

For one thing, the EVF stays on for way too long when you bring the camera down from your eye, like 20 or 30 seconds or something (I haven't timed it).

If you mean that the camera is slow to switch the menu display, or the played imaged, when you take it away from your eye, then try cleaning the eye sensor next to the viewfinder (I no longer have a SL, but I think it is integrated within the eyepiece glass). Dirt on the eye sensor has often caused my display to fail to switch.

As for the buttons, there were a lot of SL users who regretted the loss of the four button layout (inherited from the S, I think) when the SL2 came out. I suspect this is just a matter of what you're used to, rather than whether it's clunky or not. I also regretted the change, but after a while I did not notice.

Again, not having the SL any more, I can't check Auto Review, but I don't recall any problems with it - I used it all the time (and still do).

IIRC I am pretty sure you cannot have all those display options on show together. I agree it's annoying.

[MJB]

12 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

 

If you mean that the camera is slow to switch the menu display, or the played imaged, when you take it away from your eye, then try cleaning the eye sensor next to the viewfinder (I no longer have a SL, but I think it is integrated within the eyepiece glass). Dirt on the eye sensor has often caused my display to fail to switch.

As for the buttons, there were a lot of SL users who regretted the loss of the four button layout (inherited from the S, I think) when the SL2 came out. I suspect this is just a matter of what you're used to, rather than whether it's clunky or not. I also regretted the change, but after a while I did not notice.

Again, not having the SL any more, I can't check Auto Review, but I don't recall any problems with it - I used it all the time (and still do).

IIRC I am pretty sure you cannot have all those display options on show together. I agree it's annoying.

Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, regarding the manual focus aids, you can choose to have each parameter either "On" or "Off" in the submenu, but that just determines whether or not you can cycle through them (i.e., you can disable them and remove them from the queue when cycling).  On the CL, you turn each parameter on and off, but they appear all at once.  And the histogram option is separate from the highlight clipping option (they are coupled on the SL).  Anyway, not a huge deal.  For manual focus I prefer the focus peaking, and I don't really need the highlight clipping since it's a live view in the EVF and I can just use exposure compensation to taste, but the clipping is nice sometimes as it allows you to take the highlights right to the edge of clipping very easily.

[MJB]

So, just noticed some dust in the finder.  Not sure if I should make a big deal about it or not - seller did not disclose and the listing specifically mentioned a clean viewfinder.  Honestly, it's hard to see, unless you have some stand-off from the finder, but if you turn the diopter far left it's clear as day.  On the one hand, it's an older camera and from what I can tell this is not an uncommon issue...yet it's hardly a "clean" viewfinder, as the listing claimed...

[Chris W]

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Ha, I'm in the same boat.

I sold my CL, which I found very easy to use. I bought an SL, which I'm about to return due to issues nothing to do with this thread.

I find the SL menu a bit more complex than it needs to be. For example, I chose single point focus, but found the single point kept moving, so I had to disable the touch screen.

Anyway, I won't be going back to the CL, but am thinking whether I want to buy another SL to replace the one I'm returning.

[MJB]

4 hours ago, Chris W said:

Ha, I'm in the same boat.

I sold my CL, which I found very easy to use. I bought an SL, which I'm about to return due to issues nothing to do with this thread.

I find the SL menu a bit more complex than it needs to be. For example, I chose single point focus, but found the single point kept moving, so I had to disable the touch screen.

Anyway, I won't be going back to the CL, but am thinking whether I want to buy another SL to replace the one I'm returning.

There is an option to lock the joystick as well, if you prefer to keep touch focus enabled, just FYI.